Leading Accountability: The Blame Zone

Most people want to be accountable and may even say that they are accountable. However, at times, individuals actually deflect accountability. We term this working in the blame zone. You've seen it happen. Here's an example. Brad is an experienced team member who will never own up to a mistake he makes or any problems with his performance. Even though we all have an off day now and then Brad won't admit this, and instead quickly moves to the blame zone saying something like, well, "Hey, this mistake wasn't my fault. The instructions weren't clear.", or "This wouldn't have happened if the jokers doing the prep work would've really cared about the quality." With Brad, it's always something else or someone else that is to blame. Some of the signs of working in the blame zone include pointing fingers at others when something goes wrong, making excuses or covering your tail to avoid being responsible, engaging in gossip or badmouthing others to make yourself look good.

Passing the buck to others rather than collaborating, saying, "It's not my job.", instead of stepping up to help. Time spent working in the blame zone is wasted time. It slows us down and keeps us from using our time effectively. And it's surprising how this unproductive time adds up resulting in poor contribution. Not only that, but working in the blame zone destroys trust, teamwork, and collaboration. Effective leaders keep employees from wasting time in the blame zone by recognizing the warning signs. When you do this, you can help employees be responsible, accountable, and avoid the trap of blaming.